Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors (4:55)

“Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors” is the first single from Editors’ second album An End Has a Start. It was released as a digital download on June 11, 2007 and as a physical single through cd and vinyl on June 18, 2007 in the UK. It peaked at number 7 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of physical release.

Production:
The song was recorded at Grouse Lodge, under the supervision of producer Jacknife Lee. Lead vocals, lead guitar and piano were provided by Tom Smith, rhythm guitar and synth by Chris Urbanowicz, bass guitar by Russell Leetch and percussion by Ed Lay. Smith and Lay were also part of the choir, along with producer Jacknife Lee, audio engineer Tom McFall and singer Anne Struther, all of whom were chosen purely because they were in the studio at the time. When performed live, the choir vocals are provided by Smith, Lay and Leetch, rather than using a pre-recorded backing track.

Structure:
The intro of the song is an unaccompanied drum beat played for 8 seconds, at which point the lead vocals and piano, both by Tom Smith, enter. The piano part plays a continual progression of three chords: G, C and E minor. At the end of the first verse, the piano is replaced by a short guitar solo, by Chris Urbanowicz, which continues the progression. The second verse returns to piano, which segues into a distorted rhythm guitar part for the chorus.
The chorus itself has two parts: the first part is four lines long and uses the chord progression of D, E minor, A minor, while the second part is two lines long, but repeated twice, and uses G, D, E minor, C.